The Italian Gourmet Road Show: Italy at your table (III part)
Northern Italy
Let’s start with the bordering regions. Liguria -touching France- on the north-east coast where the enchanted Cinque Terre and its “route of love” is. Some of the most beautiful sunsets can be enjoyed over this coast from which one can see the entire gulf all the way to the end of France. Here, very savory Sciacchetrà white and dessert whites are made through an extreme and heroic viticulture on the cliffs (Top wineries: Lambruschi Ottaviano, Walter de Battè).
Moving North-West right on the Alps, bordering with France and Swizzerland is Valle d’Aosta producing very highly drinkable reds and whites packed with personality and clean refreshing density (Top wineries: Elio Ottin, La Kiuva, Morgex et de La Salle, Chambave, Les Cretes)
Trentino-Alto Adige near the north east Alps bordering with Austria, makes a huge array of slick, clean and technically perfect wines. Some of them might lack a bit of character, but in the last few years their technicality has been tamed into more personality (Top wineries: Abbazia di Novacella, Ferrari, Haas, Pacherhof, Niedrist Ignaz, Terlano, Tenute San Leonardo, Tiefenbrunner, Waldgries)
Going east, bordering with Croatia is Friuli, home to very interesting whites like Ribolla, Vitovska, Friulano and Malvasia made with a red wine making technique that entails longer cellar aging. Some macerated examples can take you to a different level of natural style wine tasting which can be pretty rewarding (Top wineries: Gravner, Kante, Radikon, Vodopivec, Zidarich).
Lombardy, and Veneto have a little chapter of their own here below.
Piedmont is the most important DOC producing region. Aside from a massive production of off-dry Asti sparkling, the south Piemonte makes very gentle and pleasant whites -from the Cortese grape- by the name of Gavi. Piedmont is also a great source of juicy and refreshing reds: Dolcetto, Pelaverga, Grignolino, Roero, Barbera d’Alba or d’Asti, Monferrato or a little more structured ones like some Barbera Riserva or Nebbiolo Langhe DOC. Barolo and Barbaresco are made here, check it out on next chapter (Top wineries: Aldo Conterno, Bartolo Mascarello, Bruno Giacosa, Cavallotto, Elio Altare, Elvio Cogno, Domenico Clerico, Giacomo Conterno, GiuseppeMascarello, Giuseppe Rinaldi, Luciano Sandrone, Punset, Roberto Voerzio, Marchesi di Gresy)
Barolo. Alba. The real deal of Piedmont is Barbaresco and Barolo. Both wines are made from the Nebbiolo grape. Usually the first one is a lighter, less tannic more floral and readier to drink Nebbiolo -still retaining aging potential (I had quite a few old Gaja’s in immaculate conditions)- and the latter considered to be the austere, tannic monster that can age forever. I have to say that Barolo not only is one of the longest aging Italian wines, but one of the world’s greatest wine treasures. Some of the Tuscan wines are showing now to be able to match Barolo with the more recent vintages, but if one is after the 50‘s or 60’s Barolo silky touch, with its tar and roses combination, Barolo is where to find it.
There isn’t another wine in the world so packed with character, over fifty years of easy aging span, floral delicate nose and austere leatheriness. This is one of the rare treat in the world of fine wines. Some of Luciano Sandrone’s ‘80s can give you an idea of what power and elegance can be under one roof. Luciano has been producing wines with his own personal old/new school method using small and big casks but always bottling the best from his two great vineyards of Cannubi Boschis and Le Vigne. Today also releasing an entry level complex Nebbiolo -Valmarina-. Try to visit Langhe Barolo land with its’ 15-million-year-old soils during November when together with your wine sipping a White Truffle hunt can make your gourmet dreams come true!
Next to Langhe is the beautiful city of Turin with its ancient coffee shops and one of Italy most talented chefs Davide Scabin of Combal.Zero. A two Michelin star restaurant in a beautiful Castello di Rivoli which never fails to combine creative cuisine with a firm and secure hand in the tradition and a great atmosphere and welcoming mood.
Franciacorta. Brescia.
In the eden valley of Franciacorta in the heart of Lombardy. An hour drive from Milano, Brescia is home to one of the greatest Italian chefs -Gualtiero Marchesi of Albereta Resort- where Italy most prestigious sparkling wine is made: Franciacorta. A traditional method sparkling made with an usual blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Blanc this is the real treat for anyone who wants to celebrate the Italian Dolce Vita. Bellavista is synonymous with the appellation, a true asset for the Italian wine scene. Bellavista is among the six or seven wineries producing bubbly which has been showing more consistency and class in the past ten years. Always delivering wines with a voluptuous mousse, complex nose and lingering palate. These very special wines aren’t too easily available outside of Italy, if not for the occasional high-end restaurant.
Amarone. Verona.
The power house of Italy, Veneto, located in the Northeast, is home of the fashionably fruity tank method sparkling Prosecco. But among the many industrial products, Veneto is also the area an important Italian white -Soave- and of one of the world’s finest wine inventions: Amarone.
Produced outside of Verona, the home of Romeo and Juliet, Amarone is made from local Croatina, Molinara and Rondinella dried grapes. Before fermentation, the grapes are left shriveling for three months on wooden crates. The concentration of sugars and special enzymatic reactions give the wine its unique feel. The quintessential producer is Romano dal Forno who managed to put Veneto on the map in the very exclusive club of the world of fine wine. Not just a bottle of wine, but a work of art made of super dense, black driven fruit and tobacco leaf cashmere matter: seriously anyone should try it. If the cost is too high, then start with its little, but still luscious, brother described below.
Amarone was born by accident when makingthe ancient red dessert wine, Recioto. Every now and then some tanks were transforming all the sugar into alcohol producing a dry red, later called Amarone -literally the very bitter one- or in fact “Recioto scapà” -the “escaped Recioto”!-
Valpolicella, the base appellation made from the same Amarone grapes but with no drying process, is a very interesting balck fruit driven red with a lot of intensity and length. If re-fermented over the Amarone skins is then called Ripasso.
Soave. Venice.
Produced in the countryside near Venice, from two very neutral and inoffensive grapes -Garganega and Trebbiano-, Soave can go from the simplest easy to drink white to one of Italy’s most complex wines. When a passionate vigneron like Graziano Prà comes to terms with these generally very inexpressive varieties the result is a unique agricultural masterpiece, which blends a perfect balance of cream and mineral aspects able to match virtually any dish.
Top wineries: Bussola, Quintarelli, Zymè, Latium, Romano dal Forno, Gini, Inama, Prà.
Appellations
A short explanation of the Italian appellation system: At the top of the pyramid of the classification, with over forty wines, is the DOCG: Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita. This is a trade mark related to a specific wine: the historical restricted area of origin, type of grapes, yields per acre, time in the barrel, etc. This wines have to go through an official blind tasting in order to be granted the status.
Next, with over 300 wines is the DOC Denominazione di Origine Controllata. This is a step down from the former one and true nightmare for anyone attempting to learn about Italian wine!
Doc and Docg wines together make 13-14% of the total production.
The same amount goes under IGT, Indicazione Geografica Tipica. Less rules then the Doc/g and bigger production areas: i.e. IGT Toscana wines can be made anywhere in Tuscany.
At the bottom of the quality classification with over twenty million hectoliters is Vino da Tavola -Table wine- the loosest of Italian appellations: anything goes!
Although at the bottom of the quality ladder, one must be careful in judging by appearances as some of Italy’s most famous wines are labeled with this one. It is the case of the Super Tuscans wines like Cepparello or Flaccianello made in DOCG areas, such as Chianti, but not following the rules, i.e: type of grapes, time of aging, etc.
